Published on: 2026-04-12
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Huhhot, April 12 /Xin Hua/ — The establishment of the China Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region /Northern China/, involving the city of Manzhouli at the China-Russia border, will provide a new institutional impetus to China-Russia trade and economic cooperation.
According to the strategic plan, the pilot SEZ occupies an area of 119.74 sq. km and includes three sites: in Hohhot /administrative center of Inner Mongolia/, in the city of Manzhouli and in the city of Erenhot on the China-Mongolia border. The sites are assigned differentiated functions and will develop sectors taking into account local conditions.
According to the mayor of Manzhouli, Yu Godun, regarding the ZST located in Manzhouli, measures will be taken for the coordinated development of the border trade zone, the comprehensive bonded zone, and the border economic cooperation zone. Authorities will also create channels for the import of energy sources, agricultural products, and other resources due to the throughput capacity of tens of millions of tons and large-scale warehouse and transshipment bases for such resources.
Currently, 57 freight railway routes between China and Europe pass through Manzhouli, and the number of departures and arrivals of freight trains between China and Europe at both ends in Manzhouli has reached 28 thousand. By the end of 2025, 4,867 China-Europe trains passed through the China-Russia border crossing in Manzhouli, an increase of 11.2 percent year-on-year.
In 2025, through the border trade zone on the territory of the Manzhouli CPP, more than 86 thousand tons of goods were imported into China with a declared total amount exceeding 306 million yuan (about 44.8 million USD). In the first quarter of the current year, more than 40 thousand tons of goods were imported with a declared total amount of 147 million yuan.
Zhan Deqi, an employee of the company responsible for operating the border trade zone in Manzhouli, noted that the establishment of the FTZ will allow for expanding the volume of raw material imports from Russia, including rapeseed and flax seeds, and exploring the possibility of supplying processed products produced here to markets throughout China via the e-commerce platform.
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